Opinions - best tuning gears?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Ruben E garcia

Question for you guys... are Ebony ones considered the best ones??? the could be quite expensive...

No, the Rubner HatPegs to me are much less expensive than any of the higher grade Baker type copies or the Sloans. The Ebony is cheap as compared to high grade machining. The Rubners are the same gears as the metal ones but made to house the Ebony or Rosewood shafts. I have had both and they are in my book, medium grade machines. They will only work as good as the 'machined' Gear/Worm parts are. The Ebony shaft just holds the string. Also, the installer has to drill the hole in the wood for the string.

[Thomas Erickson]

^^^ What he said.

I think the basic Rubners are good simple gears for the money (cheeeeep), but not much more. The hatpeg versions seem rather pointless to me - more money for something that usually looks goofy.

[Thomas Erickson]

Anybody used both Sloanes and the Krutz gears and want to compare?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Thomas Erickson

Anybody used both Sloanes and the Krutz gears and want to compare?

I would take the Krutz as they tune easier and quicker. Sometimes you get a slightly sticky gear in the set but that can be adjusted.

I just like them better and also, I think they are slighter cheaper. They are heavier maybe but not that big of a difference.

[Thomas Erickson]

Having had the sloanes but not Krutz, I would not have guessed the Krutz were so heavy from how they look. Interesting.

[Arnold Schnitzer]

Originally Posted by Thomas Erickson

Anybody used both Sloanes and the Krutz gears and want to compare?

I hate to disagree with our esteemed host, but to me the Sloanes win hands-down over the Krutz gears (which I hear are out of production anyway).

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Arnold Schnitzer

I hate to disagree with our esteemed host, but to me the Sloanes win hands-down over the Krutz gears (which I hear are out of production anyway).

It's ok. I know you would say that and yes, the Krutz are gone now from what I hear.

Still, style wise I liked the Krutz gears a lot and put them on several of my basses when I could. I just don't like the look and shape of the Plates that the Sloans are mounted on. They are the smoothest available and tune at 50:1 ratio as opposed to the 40:1 (?) Krutz.

When changing strings by hand it takes much longer with the Sloans and that to me is a royal pain. My first few basses had German Gears, Hatpegs and German made French style gears. I did just fine with those at 20-24:1 ratio (guessing) and didn't have a problem tuning them.

Show me some good looking Baker Gears on or off mounting plates and I will jump on them even if under 40:1 ratio.

Playing in tune is much harder than tuning a bass for me so I go with looks and smoothness of turning.

[davidseidel]

I'm just back in Australia after the best part of a year spent in UK and during that time I paid a visit to Martyn Bailey - a very highly experienced maker and repairer who certainly has paid his dues.
I played one of his own instruments and found it very impressive in the English tradition.
Thought his tuners might be of interest - seemed ideal to me FWIW....

http://www.mjbl.co.uk/doubl-bass-machines.html

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by davidseidel

I'm just back in Australia after the best part of a year spent in UK and during that time I paid a visit to Martyn Bailey - a very highly experienced maker and repairer who certainly has paid his dues.
I played one of his own instruments and found it very impressive in the English tradition.
Thought his tuners might be of interest - seemed ideal to me FWIW....

http://www.mjbl.co.uk/doubl-bass-machines.html

With shipping at today's rates, that's close to $550-600 with shipping to the states, estimated. Most Baker gear models work good. Some great and some not so great but they are a tradition.

I have old/original gears on both my Tarr and Panormo school basses. They look great and work good as well. They just don't make 'em like that anymore.



Arnold, send me some of those extra winders you have. I had you put Sloans on one of my Pollmanns before and never got the winder!